The 72 year old has been at Gleneagles watching the European team practice and has been asked by captain Paul McGinley to rouse the players ahead of the biennial tournament which starts on Friday.

Ferguson, who is a close friend of assistant Sam Torrance, will deliver his speech to the players at a team dinner.

McGinley said: “Although I’m not a United fan – as everybody knows, I’m a West Ham fan – I’ve always loved the way his teams played. And there’s a number of things that he’s dealing with that he was particularly good at and that I think will be a particularly strong fit here.

“There’s a lot of similarities, and I’ve met him a number of times over the last few months. The more I’ve met him, the more there was just such a natural fit. But the players don’t know yet. It’s amazing.

“Everybody seems to know except the players. I’ve been trying to keep it quiet. I mean, Alex is particularly keen on keeping it quiet, but I guess that’s not the case anymore.”

Ferguson will join a host of sporting personalities who have given a speech to a Ryder Cup team. In 2010, Welsh Rugby coach Gareth Edwards spoke to the side at Celtic Manor while Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola gave a speech in 2012 ahead of the tournament in Medinah.